Free Will: The Conscious Particles are capable of perception and command, just like the human spirit. But, the Particles do not exercise free will in the execution of their duties. Our experience of life gives us experiential evidence that we exercise free will in all we do. But, such a belief about free will challenges logic since all of life is built upon the machinery of mechanical particles.

Even if free will exists, the limits of free will are circumscribed by the human capacity to act or respond to the laws of nature. The human frame is thus composed of, and bound to, the causal understructure of the particulate universe that composes every cell and mediates every action and nervous process.

This acknowledgement of the tight connection between the causal particulate world, and the human frame, and its nervous system control, begs the question as to whether free can even exist at all. I believe it would be reasonable to declare that that if man is only flesh, then he would have little possibility of exercising a life of anything but a causal continuum of actions predicated on prior action and experience.

On the other hand, if humans can choose to move as the spirit leads at any moment, the introduction of the possibility from another realm brings the causal sequence out of the endless chain of mechanical collisions and reactions. If man is connected with the spirit realm, he can choose at any moment any of the possibilities that present themselves to his spiritual vision, and thus move in ways that break the sequence of expected behaviors. While the autonomic flesh nature of man has a chaotic pattern of habitual predictability, this does not doom us to only acting in the sphere of our habits. Rather, because we can see into the realm of spirit, we can choose at any time to resist the pull of the flesh and the comforting reinforcement of pleasure and familiarity. We can chart a new course, follow a new track of thought, speech, and behavior, and we can exercise the free will that we all know is possible and part of our birthright as humans.

The universe is built upon an absolutely mechanical and lawful particle understructure. And as a result, the physical body, being composed of particles which obey natural law strictly, manifests its various functions through the forces of chemical interaction which results in cellular metabolism, organ function, muscular force, and nerve conduction. There is little place in this mechanical symphony where free will could possibly express itself within the universe that contains only mechanical sequence. The logical inconsistency of free will existing in a mechanically causative universe is so strong that natural philosophers have long contended that free will is an illusion.

Having already defended the concept of free will against the mechanicalness of the physical universe, we have another force coming from the spirit realm which seeks to limit free will by divine plan, predestination, and foreknowledge.

This concept of the prophetic, spiritually, God-ordained world is well illustrated by a story told to me by my pastor friend, Daniel, from the Sacramento area who was called one day to pray for a young homosexual man to whom he had been witnessing. Dan prayed and the Lord spoke to him in a vision and showed him what would happen to the man in the next 24 hours if he didn’t give his life over to the Lord. Dan relayed to the young man a detailed description of the events that would take place in the next 24 hours including a car chase, the outcome of a crash at a specific location, the relationship of these coming events to his homosexual lifestyle, and the debility which would result. The scenario played itself out in every detail.

This story provides us with an illustration of how a life of sin appears to be free, but results in restricted freedom after a short excursion away from Godly pathways. Such apparent exercises in freedom are similar to the man who chooses to run his car across off the road through a field, forest, or canyon in a fit of rebellion against the restrictions of the paved highway, as he was attracted to the freedom off the road. Such excursions into the realm of unrestricted pursuit of passion are thrilling and stimulate the rebel to want more. But the apparent freedom is short lived; natural law and spiritual forces react. The ultimate outcome is long periods of little mobility and limited choices. Such is the way of sin. We can choose that path, but little joy or freedom exists in that realm after making the turn against God’s ways.

The general pattern for the man willing to regulate his passions is long life, good health, wealth and prosperity, and joyful prosperity. Bad things can happen to good people, but the general pattern is one of a full and satisfying life when following the ways of the God.

The question evoked by the above story of the young rebel is whether all events, by all people, were predestined just as the tragic events of his life? Can we not change our path or the sequence of events that direct and impact us?

In short, the answer is that we have the freedom to make any choice we wish at any time. But, the freedom is not without consequences. If we choose to make a choice that has a strong reaction evoked by natural or spiritual law, it didn’t restrict our choice, it just made the choice unpleasant.

Thus, there are two levels of level of restriction to our freedom: 1) the imagination of new action, and 2) the spiritual and physical forces that push against that action.

Some people have an extremely unfettered imagination have new ideas, invent, pursue new jobs, interests, and hobbies, travel for work and pleasure, and try new foods and social situations. All imaginations can be attempted, but not all imagination can be successfully executed without significant resistance or collateral consequences.

The way of God ultimately brings life, health, joy, and prosperity, but in the path toward that outcome, there may be much death, sickness, sorrow, and poverty. In the clash of good and evil, it may be necessary for a generation to throw off the chains of the oppression of evil for the reign of God’s kingdom to establish His throne and the goodness that proceeds from it. The times of transition between evil and good can have extreme turmoil and pain as part of their experience. Ultimately, those who sacrifice in such a battle are rewarded for their service of His kingdom, and their experience of life, health, joy, and prosperity is great; but that may only come in the promised life to come.

On the other hand, the way of the rebel against God’s ways may appear to live long and be strong, prosper at the hands of those he oppresses, and have joy in his rebellion. But, such a person will eventually pay the price, either in this life or the next. But, most likely he will pay in both. The freedom we have can be abused, and we can make choices that have long term bad unintended and unseen consequences.

Evil is the spirit that opposes God’s way. The boundary line between good and evil is so subtle, that in our walk through the normal daily transactions of life, we can easily step into the camp of evil without any large consequences. The petty larceny, white lies, lustful thoughts, angry reactions, idolatrous devotions, and disrespectful attitudes are common to every man’s experience. And when entertained, justified, and made habitual, they lead to a life that is open to even stronger, more blatant exercises of the passions of the flesh that lead against the way of God. Eventually the most casual observer can see that a man has given his life over to a way of depravity and evil.

The man who follows the path down to the pit is not forced to do so by some cosmic push rod or destiny that forces him to play the role of the bad man. Rather, he has simply chosen to follow the pulls of the flesh, and chosen not to heed warnings of the Holy Spirit. Choices once executed quickly become habit, and as such the majority of life is directed by the force of habit. Much of what we receive in terms of circumstances and opportunities generates from our own choices and desires, and these in turn are based on subconscious fears, pain, heredity, and training. Still, we each have the sense that in fact we have the capacity to make free will choices for good or bad at every moment.

Thus, we can see that free will is actually always present, even in a world where the mechanical action of the particulate level underlies all of life. Thoughts and impulses come to us from the spirit and flesh realm. It is true that much of life its feelings and thoughts come from the sequence of previous mechanical-lawful interactions that led to this point. The natural world of particles and fields proceeds without error. But as humans we inject choice into the expected sequence of particulate interactions that constitute all the players and props on the set of human life. As humans, as sentient beings capable of seeing the possibilities available in the next moment of life, we can actually change the drama and follow a new path at any moment.

There is a mechanism by which we can intervene in this causal chain of particulate force transmission to actually experience free will. The mechanical progression of natural law would seem to require the nervous system and the mental-emotional-spiritual processes to follow the same cause-effect sequence as the particles which compose their structure. But, free will can exist if multiple parallel universes of possibility exist. This is not to say that the universe has multiple realities all being lived out in actuality. This metaphor refers to the fact that we can look inside and view an inner world where we can imagine anything. The human spirit is a point of consciousness that observes and can see all the possibilities of life, and from that point of observation can choose, and in turn direct the body to act. Thus, the natural momentum of particles, the force of habit, and the temptations of the flesh and evil can be over-ridden just by the spirit choosing to follow one of the possibilities it sees in the realm of spirit.

The key to free will is thus having the possibility to act outside of the mechanical cause and effect sequence, and having the vision to see the possibilities. If the human spirit can see outside of this domain of the particulate world of causal sequence, and it can direct the soul-body into action, then free will is a real possibility. This assumption yields the intuitively satisfying result of a world where man’s spirit can interface with and direct the body to influence and direct mass. The key to free will is dependent upon the spirit’s ability to view and act on possibilities from a realm outside the mechanical world of particles. In this way the human spirit can truly execute independent choice and action.

The soul carries the programs of human nature and interfaces with the spirit. We thus attempt to answer the question, “What is the soul?” Following the hypotheses of the Theory, we postulate that the soul arises as a natural consequence of the physical body’s configuration of conscious particles that reflects the physicality of the organs and nervous system.

The soul appears to be an assembly of sub-structures constituted by smaller groupings of conscious particles with their own form and function. The smaller units of physicality and consciousness such as molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, systems, all have their own consciousness, and contribute to the form and character of the next larger unit of organismic complexity. This layering of form and consciousness produces a control and monitoring entity provides for extremely rich intra-connectivity. Such a system can produce is own cybernetic feedback, and hence maintain homeostasis within the parameters of its own reference range of normality.

The soul thus is composed of micro and macro structures that mutually inter-depend on the levels of physical function and soul pattern process. The processes of the soul may include perception and projection (input and output information flow), comparison of state with others and programmed reference point, and action based on the input signal. The higher-level assemblies may be location in the soul which generate the abstract and human level experiences such as emotions and competing points of self-interest. This conception of the soul corresponds well with the Chinese medicine theory which attributes the organs as the seat for generating the panoply of human emotions.

Each of the soul passions for self-interest, avoidance of pain, and pursuit of pleasure, etcetera are God-given and drive humanity to survive and self-perpetuate, just as He has given the animals their form, nature, and passions. The soul drives mankind to follow the law of the jungle and relate on an animalistic level. It is the source of man’s challenge to properly use and moderate his animal passions by subjugating them to God’s way. God has given us a soul which drives us to survive, and a spirit which can choose to follow a higher law that can trump the animal passions.

God has established a way for man to transfer control of his life from the soul to the spirit and thus be reborn as a new man. The change comes by man choosing to pledge his heart, soul, and spirit allegiance to the Lordship of Jesus the Christ. In so doing, a man’s spirit has committed to release its addiction and dependence on the flesh. A man dedicated to the renewal of his spirit has given his will to follow the higher Laws of Godly human behavior. This is the path chosen to put on the Mind of Christ and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

The flesh-driven man will experience a life of animal behavior and the consequences of living subject to those drives. The flesh necessarily rejects the ways of God, because that new path sometimes what appears to be self-sacrifice and delayed pleasure to obtain the greater payoff obtained when following God’s path. But, God is calling all men unto Himself, and resistance will only delay the inevitable drawing of every soul unto Him.

Every man has a spirit, and we all have contact with the choices that present themselves from the options and plays that present themselves in the spirit realm. We can at any moment choose good or evil, we can ally with the forces of habit and flesh, or choose the way of Godliness and life. But, until we recognize that the way of Godliness is right, and is preferable, we will tend to choose the way of the flesh, which is essentially limiting and places us in a bondage of self-limited options.

Galatians 4:29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

The capacity for exercising free will, choosing the options available from the spiritual realm, exists for all people at all times. But when we chose a non-God path, we encounter such great hardship that our options become more limited. The forces of life constrain us more strongly when we stray off the straight and narrow path. The analogy of driving is apt; we can become mired in obstacles when we choose to go off the smooth and paved roads of life. When we operate in the God-like realm, and commit ourselves to choosing Godliness, and resisting the choice of the flesh, we have the maximize our long-term experience of life-options.

The choice to do this or that, to exercise choice in mundane actions such as choosing chocolate or vanilla, is a low level exercise of our innate ability to influence our fate. But as humans, our spirit has the capacity to initiate a new force that can change the causal sequence of time and space events. God can use this same capability to intervene into the realm of nature and command particulate action to change the direction of life events. Thus, on the level of independent action, both God and Man are peers. Of course, man’s breadth and depth of possible modes of action is small compared to God’s, but the essential capacity for independent action is nevertheless of a common type. We would expect this to be true since God created man in His image.

Thus, free will truly exists as a possibility for human action and intent. But, as humans we generally develop habits, and therefore most of our daily reactions generally follow predictable sequences both in terms of class and specifics. These habits may be driven by animal instincts, or by spirits of family, substance, or place. Thus, while we can choose to do anything at any moment, unless we chose to exercise our initiative, we will probably follow one of a set of relevant habits in response to any particular stimuli. And this is as it should be. God has given us the ability to program our lives in any way we choose. Programming the heart to following God’s way at each moment, and actually disciplining ourselves to develop those Godly ways into habits increases the likelihood of experiencing a long life filled with health, joy and prosperity. As opposed to the life which is easy to program in the path of the flesh; this life has a greater chance to be cut short, be filled with disease, pain, sorrow, and poverty. The seduction to the way of the flesh attracts many by its ease and access to immediate pleasure.

Parents should bring up their children in His way; that is the best and easiest entry into the way of God. But, all parents are flawed and none can actually lie and teach the perfect path. Thus, we must each engage in our own lifelong journey to repair and straighten of our soul in His way. A man pursues the hard work of developing a Godly character and soul when he has a clear vision of the benefits of the Godly life. The seeker of God must have the stamina to delay the experience of pleasure until he attains a life mature in the fruit of Godliness. Such a man will be strengthened in his resolve if he has the wisdom and foresight to see the destruction that comes from following the flesh. Seeing this polarity clearly gives men seeking God the strength that comes from seeing the consequences of wrong choices. We are all called to Sonship, becoming like Christ, but few have the strength of character follow the path to its end. Such is the benefit of hard times, and painful lessons. These experiences can give a man the necessary commitment of the soul to never compromise, and run the race to completion. Thus, painful lessons are to be appreciated as valuable treasure because of the high price paid for the wisdom.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Thus, free will truly exists because of the fact that God has created two domains within his universe of spirit:

1) The domain of the soul and the physical universe: These realms are more familiar to our daily lives than the direct experience of the spiritual world. We all innately follow our internal passions that pull us to follow the nature of the flesh and soul. The physical world pulls us with its strong lawful causation embedded deeply down to the underlying Conscious Particles. When the particles join together to form the organs and systems of the body, the aggregate consciousness of each part contributes a piece to the processing complex that together constitutes the soul. The healing systems such as Chinese medicine depend upon the analysis of the spirits of each of the individual organs, as well as the flow of information through the various processing centers. These individual elements together form the larger whole, which results in the higher-level assemblies of consciousness, each with their ability to perceive, process, and project. Thus, the human soul is composed from a multitude of particulate spirits, each joined together, layer upon layer, to form the functional whole that we experiences as the human body and soul. The Chinese healing system, and its efficacy, is a concrete example of how the body is assembled of flesh and soul, organs and energetic organs. The formation of particles into body and soul was not a random assemblage, but a divine shaping and creation of form and function. These elements have come together to form both body and soul; these are the vehicles capable of housing the spirit that God has given us. The spirit is the deepest and most fundamental layer of who we really are, but God created the mechanical layer of particles and forces as the body and soul upon which the spirit could ride. The complexity and interwoven nature of the body soul and spirit disguise the fundamental simplicity of the creation so completely, that we can act out the drama of life with total sincerity. This is what God wants for us, to live in a world of meaning and consequence. He wants our love, and he wants us to show that love by living in a way that rejects the immediate pleasure offered by the other spirits that arise from the creation, and instead follow His way.

2) The domain of the Spirit: God dwells outside of the realm of particle and force interactions, and yet the world of force, time, and sequence is part and parcel of His being. We do not know if the heavenly realm is embedded within the material world, or if it resides in its own independent universe. Regardless, it is from this spiritual realm that God observes our material world and intervenes as necessary so that His will may manifest. Likewise, our inner vision and senses can see and feel the possibilities of this inner spiritual world. As humans, we can observe the sequence and consequences of Godly and the fleshly options of thought, speech, and action in the spirit world of imagination. This world of virtual reality is available for observation, examination of the consequences of acting out the various possibilities of imagination and desire. We can choose either Godly or fleshly action. The spirit world in this domain is simply a realm of possibility and virtual experience. We can choose any option from the spirit world, bring it into the realm of real action, and in so doing create an unexpected outcome in the unfolding drama. If we lose focus on choosing to manifest the Godly polarity of the spiritual world, and get seduced into acting out the animal pulls of the flesh, we can be enrolled as agents of evil. Thus, we are best directed when we dedicate our hearts to the teaching of the Lord, and choose His way and take His lead, direction, and vision. We are charged with the never ending task of resisting the pull of Satan’s pull to act out the way of the flesh.

God’s spirit embodies the patterns of optimal human behavior. The patterns of health and righteousness include the bridling of the animal passions that war against peaceful and righteous patterns of life and co-existence with all men. The nobility of living God’s way of relationship is obvious to all, but men succumb often to the pressure and temptation to violate righteousness, and satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. When righteousness is violated, the retaliatory passion for justice makes peace difficult. Thus, Christ-like forbearance, counsel, forgiveness, and boundaries become the tools of restoration of peace and righteous relationship.

The choice between following God’s way or the passions of the flesh creates the dynamic tension, the duality, the moral dilemmas and that give meaning to free will. God has created a world where we can actually choose to follow God’s spirit or the spirits of the flesh. By giving us the ability to see into the spirit realm, make choices, and act them out in life, God has blunted the harshness of the absolute cause and effect lawfulness inherent in a mechanical universe. God gave man the ability to choose from the vast array of human possibilities from the morally neutral choices such as chocolate vs. vanilla, profit vs. loss, to the more morally significant choice of short-term pleasure and long-term pain vs. short-term pain vs. long-term gain. Thus, the process of life involves wisely choosing and thereby developing Godly habits and righteous character.

God’s purpose in establishing this world of duality where God’s spirit competed for the allegiance of man’s soul is to create a world where humans had the God-like capability of meaningful choice. The significance of man’s choices were embedded in the fact that following God’s Way is often hard to do in the short term, but pay off is great in long term emotional, spiritual, and life-dividends. To follow God’s Way, man must resist the strong flesh pull to satisfy those flesh hungers. Thus, man can choose to satisfy his short-term passions, and in so doing reject an intimate love-relationship with God. Or, he can choose to show his love for God by choosing the hard path of short term denial of the flesh, and experience the long term dividends of happiness, wealth, and health and that joyous love-relationship with God throughout life and eternity. God has established life as the medium in which each soul may confront the pulls of good and evil. Life serves as a filter, a test for the soul, a winnowing process which separates those souls that love Him from those who reject His character and way. Those souls will self select and be separated from His fellowship. We could look at such a system as harsh or uncompassionate. But, in fact, God is giving people a choice and those who do not want to work hard, do not have to; those who wish to rebel, may do so; every soul is given exactly what he chooses. Such a system is eminently fair. And, it is possible to change the road you are on, and climb the stairway to heaven.

The separation of the human spirit by the nervous system from direct perception and reaction makes it possible for men to make decisions that actually violate God’s plan for perfection. God’s Law is not about punishment and preventing men from having fun. God’s Law is a listing of the behaviors that have good and bad consequences. Free will requires the possibility of making erroneous judgment. Free will requires the possibility of paying a price that is too high, while being completely convinced of the wisdom of such foolish choices. Free will requires that the human soul, spirit, and nervous system must be capable of choosing to violate God’s guidelines for behavior, and believing that this choice is truly the better path. Man must have available the opportunity to reject the pull of God, and the instructions which will optimize his joy, peace, love and fulfillment. It was for this reason that Jesus said, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” The foolishness of following the flesh, the high cost of ignorance or rebellion against God’s way can seduce us all. The cost of continued rebellion after hearing the voice of conscience speak increases the severity of the reprimand.

God has given man a spirit that resides on soul-body platform that operates according to natural law. Thus, the heart of man lives on the edge of two worlds where he feels, hears, knows, and experiences the guidelines of God on one side and the pull for satisfaction of the flesh on the other. As such, God’s laws for humanity are optimal behavioral guidelines rather than absolute requirements for action. The conscious particles must follow their internally programmed instructions; rebellion is impossible. But, man lives in a domain of cause and effect where the seeds of his actions only bring fruit after a season when men who reap the consequences of that violation. The miracle of God’s creation is that he was able to create a universe where the fact of a truly existent law, a requirement for action, does not inhibit the freedom to choose to violate. The miracle of having choice in a mechanical, lawful world, gives meaning to the struggle and victory over temptation and human nature.

God has provided the physical universe as a platform of absolute lawfulness upon which He has allowed the Human Spirit to make decisions on every level, thought, word, and deed. And the wise person soon begins to see hints that violating these God-given behavioral laws produces pain and a suboptimal experience of life. And we see that living life in accordance with God’s Way produces a higher and deeper joy than satisfying the flesh. It is in making that choice that we express our de facto honor and love for God.

Life lived according to God’s Way provides its own reward as a natural consequence for obedience, just as disobedience renders the automatic experience of pain and feedback that illuminates the presence of error. God, as creator, has full awareness of the requirements for optimizing life-quality, and He has informed humanity of these boundaries and cause-effect sequences through Holy Scripture. Nature speaks the same rules, and the man with perfect spiritual ears and eyes could see the long-term cost and benefit of every action. But, in the human frame wrong teaching obscures perfect judgment, the seduction of the flesh diverts right action, and the injustice of painful feedback for right action discourages good character.

The rules of particulate interaction function as the foundation of life, and all of nature follows the law of the jungle where only the most fit survive; such is the basis for the passions of the flesh. But God desires that we overcome the world and live in love and peace. And, while man is naturally drawn to fulfill the passions of the flesh and his jungle instincts, he is also called to follow a higher path. This God-ordained epic battle will rage between two kingdoms until He returns to reign and enforce His Law. The lawful tyranny of the physical world, and the grace and freedom of the world of God’s liberty are now choices that man can make freely. But, at some time, God may choose to make the violation and enforcement connection overt. We may someday transition into a dispensation where He requires obedience to His law and all violation will be dealt with promptly and righteously.

In Revelation, we are told that His reign will last 1000 years, and then the freedom to choose between God and Satan will be restored. And, given man’s nature, many will choose the way of the flesh instead of God’s way.

The laws of particulate interaction automatically precipitate the law of the jungle when applied to the realm of consciousness and animal interaction. But man has been created with the potential of following a higher potential and resisting the temptation to follow the natural passions of the soul.

God is the author of Natural and Human Law. Natural Law dictates absolute cause and effect compliance with the forces applied in the physical realm; all beings, man, animal, plant and mineral are subject to these forces. Therefore, the choices exercised by animals are cause-effect sequences. But, animal spirits were not given the same requirements to follow a higher spiritual law, therefore it is entirely right, and lawful for every animal to follow his instincts and training. Before men chose to follow the higher allegiance to God’s way, he naturally follows the world of animalistic pursuit of pleasure, avoidance of pain, and maintenance of survival. But, even in that state, men hear, see, and feel the pull of the Lord on their lives to act according to the divine standard. And because there is an option, men have a choice. He may have an imperfect knowledge of all the forces operating in his environment, and he may choose badly, but as a group, men who choose to follow His standard and direction of His Holy Spirit, will on average experience a higher and better circumstance of life. Thus, life provides its own lessons and direction toward God. No one really has an excuse to say, “I didn’t know God’s way, no one told me.”

The spirits of nature pull us to follow their call. Every passion of the animal kingdom is represented in the set of emotions possessed in the human soul, and they each pull us to engage in their particular thrill. We can be fascinated, addicted, or repulsed by the various emotions and emotions and passions of the heart, but the challenge is to use each of them at an inappropriate level. We will be most satisfied when we guide our passions and actions according to the Way of God.

The animals each embody aspects of the emotional world, much as each of the sensory organs isolate and accentuate aspects of the physical world. God has divinely created the full spectrum of emotions, and the spirits that inhabit the world of emotion and passion are just as real as the God of the universe.

Emotion provides the consequence of action to the soul. We desire to feel pleasure, and we flee from pain. We associate emotions and actions, and as a result we can develop inappropriate affections and aversions. The realm of emotion is a powerful motivator of human choice, but fear and desire associated with short-term action can produce long-term pain. Thus, the wisdom of Godly direction helps us make proper choices for long-term prosperity, even in the face of the short-term temptations.

Thus, God has created a life for humans where a full spectrum of sensations, emotions, and possible actions provide the required ingredients to create true drama and a meaningful play of choice, responsibility, and consequence.